Feed collet



Nov. 30 1926. 1,608,627

I. HJsHEFr-ER FEED COLLET Filed May 1. 192a ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

IRVING I'I. SHEFFER, OF ECORSE, MICHIGAN.

FEED COLLET.

Application filed May 1,

This invention relates to improvements in feed collets generally employed for feeding stock through the hollow spindle of automatic machines and the like. and has particular reference to feed coilets having pads therein which will not mark the surface of the stock with which they come in contact.

It is an object of the invention to provide a feed collet having removable pads of some considerable length so as to afford ample bearing and gripping surface for the stock.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a feed collet having resilient fingers integral with the body portion each of which is adapted to support one end of one of the pads and to hold the opposite end of its pad against a front collar also integral with the body portion. The one-piece body portion is so formed as to hold the pads by spring tension so that they may be quickly and easily inserted or removed by merely pushing them into or out of position. and without having to adjust screws or other removable attaching means such as are now generally employed for holding-the pads. 7

Having thus outlined the major objects of the invention I will now proceed to describe it in detail with the aid of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a feed collet partly in section on the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevation showing one of the resilient fingers with the pad removed.

Figure 4 is an elevation of a pad.

Figure 5 shows a slightly modified form of construction of the invention partly in section.

Figure 6 is an end view of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 is another view of the modified form of construction showing a pad held in position by one of the resilient fingers.

In the drawings, 1 designates the body of the collet which is made of one piece of circular material, usually seamless tubing. The body has a closed end 2 threaded externally so that it can be attached to its operating member. Adjacent to the threaded portion I usually provide a portion 3 of enlarged diameter so that the shoulder formed on the side next to the thread will constitute a stop. The main body portion 4 extending forwardly from the portion 3 of enlarged diameter is provided intermediately of its length with a plurality of longitudi- 1926. Serial No. 106,004.

nal slots 5, and a slot 6 which extends through the front of the body portion so that the front end assumes the appearance of a split collar.

In. the main body portion a second set of intermediate slots 8. substantially parallel with the slots and 6, provided. From the rear ends of these s ots 8 resilient fingers 14. integral with the main body portion, project forwardly. These fingers, which are flexed inwardly and extend only part of the length of their slots, are bevelled at their front ends 9 to engage the rear surfaces 10 of the segmental pads 11. External projections 12 integral with the pans engage the front ends of the slots 8 against which latter the projections are held by the resilient fingers. The forward extensions 15 of the pads with the extensions 12 form receiving grooves which bear against the front ends of the slots 8, and help hold the front of the pads in position.

T he slots 5 and 6 allow the body portion to spring so that stock may be held by the innor surfaces of the segmental pads; and the arrangement of the pads is such that quite short pieces of stock can be held by them as the pads may extend right to the front of the collet as shown in Figure 1. When it is not necessary to hold quite such short pieces of stock however I prefer that the front ends of the pads terminate as shown in Figure 5, because spring tension is obtained both from the closed rear end of the collet and from the split front end 7 which is of the same diameter as the main body portion 4:, and when the pads extend through the split front end 7 they are apt to reduce the resiliency it would exert intermediately of the main body portion.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 collet is shown having three pads intended for holding circular stock, and the collet shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7 has only two pads intended to hold square stock, but obviously the number of pads may be varied as desired and shaped to hold stock of various cross sections; a slot 8 and resilient finger 14 must however be provided to support each segmental pad.

When it is desired to remove a pad the finger by which it is held is pressed inwards until the back of the pad is free to move back sufiiciently for the external projection to clear the front end of the slot and to fall into the oollet, it is then free to be lifted out.

lltl

While in the foregoing I have described the preferred forms of construction it is understood that the device is susceptible to such further modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim- 1. 'A feed collet comprising a tubular member circumferentially closed at one end and provided at said end with attaching means, said member being pierced by longi tudinal slots intermediately or its length, inwardly flexed resilient fingers extending lengthwise or" said slots, pads in said member one end of each of which is supported by one of said fingers, and each of the latter holding one ofsaid pads by spring tension against one end of one of said slots.

2. A feed collet comprisinga tubular member having one end threaded and circumterentially closed, said member being pierced by a plurality of longitudinal slotsinwardly flexed resilient fingers integral with said member and'extending lengthwise of said slots. a plurality ofsegmental pads in saic member, one end or said pads being supported by said fingers, and external projectionson said pads bearing against the front oi said slots. 7

' 3. A feed collet comprising a tubular niemberprovided at one end with attaching means, said member being pierced by longitudinal slots ntermediately of its length, forwardly extendingresilient lingers integral with said member extending lengthwise of said slots, segmental pads in said member having their rear ends supported by said fingers, external projections on said pads bearing against the front of said slots, said pads having front portions extending forwardly beyond said projections, and said front portions bearing against the bore of saidtn'bular member. 7

4. A. feed collet comprising a tubular member oircumterentially closed at its rear end and provided with attacl ir 'ineans, said they are held by the spring tension'of said fingers.

1:; feed collet comprising a tubular member threaded at one end which is cireumierentially closed, said member being pierced by plurality of longitudinal slots, said member being also pierced by a slot which sever-s its front end, inwardlyi'iexed resilient fingers integral withsaid, member e}: ending forwardly in each alternate slot, segmental pads within said member having their rear ends supported by said fingers, external projections on said pads engaging the front 0t said slots and held thereagainst by the spring tension of said lingers, and forwardly extending portions on said pads bearing'against the boreof saidjtubular member in front of said intermediate slots.

IRVING SHEFFER. 

